Conventional steel drive chain is built up of flat elements which are the product of a stamping or blanking process. Molding a chain link from a nonmetallic material enables integration of three-dimensional features into the link such as end bearings and mounting bosses for a driven component, thereby distributing stresses, reducing parts count and simplifying assembly.
Steel drive chain is an outstandingly elegant machine element, the result of centuries of developing metals technology. It makes use of an inexpensive, well understood material (steel strip) subjected to a simple operation (precision stamping) that actually improves the material characteristics for the purpose (cold working). It is easily assembled, totally modular and adaptable to any power level. Properly maintained, its mechanical efficiency is 98 percent or better.
It has, however, certain disadvantages, including the transmission of drive tension via shear through small diameter link pins, the difficulty of keeping the chain lubricated, and the tendency of lubricants to attract dirt, which can rapidly wear the chain.
In general, and without regard to the novel features of the present invention, performance of a nonmetallic drive chain equaling or exceeding that of conventional steel in heavy duty, industrial or commercial applications is only made possible by the ability to create optimal anisotropic properties for maximum structural efficiency and minimum mass. This is accomplished using heavily fiber reinforced materials, utilizing molding techniques well established in prior art to align the reinforcement in the direction of the local tensile stress. It is crucial to achieving the performance, on a strength-to-weight basis, exceeding that of metals that is the primary reason for resorting to reinforced composites.